Cut a Rug
by reddolphin5000
Summary: Ash had two left feet, and his wardrobe never ventured from a plain t-shirt and jeans. So then what was he doing at a ball?


**AN: Greetings, fellow readers; I come bearing a fluffy gift for your viewing pleasures. Now, let's hope it's not as trashy as 2016 was, I mean am I right? XD Haha, no but honestly, last year really friggin' sucked. Happy belated New Year's!**

 **Anyways, I hope you guys enjoy the story because I really enjoyed writing it! :) Please offer your thoughts and whatnot in the reviews or through PMs because it makes my little writer heart dance with joy.**

* * *

"Oh god," Ash muttered feverishly under his breath as he watched the room spin with sumptuous gowns. What was he doing here? Although it wasn't immediately obvious, Ash definitely didn't belong here amidst the excessive silk dresses and crystal-dripping chandeliers. Unbeknown to the innocent, aristocratic eye, he was secretly choking underneath his sleek tuxedo vest—Ash wasn't particularly tailored for these sort of posh affairs. But if anyone could persuade him to come to such a highfalutin event, it was May, and she had even insisted it to the point of pleading. So here he was, reclining in a stiff chair as he watched an elegant crowd of dancers float around the ballroom floor.

If Ash had to make a list of his top five worst life decisions, attending this pretentious ball would have prettily topped it off, only slightly ranking above the incident in Hoenn in which he agreed to dress up like a girl.

He ran a hand through his tamed hair—or at least he tried to; May had forced a comb and some copious amounts of hair gel through it several hours earlier. It did wonders for him though, he had to admit; she managed to make him look halfway decent. Several girls had even asked to dance with him, though he mostly opted to brush them off. He stifled another yawn before desperately scoping the room for a red, flowing mermaid dress. The event was planned to last for another two hours, and the only way he knew he could survive the rest of the night was if he found May. He stood up from his chair, silently cursing his suit before striding towards the center of the ballroom. However, his search ground to a halt as he attempted to navigate through the congregation of spinning couples; he wasn't too eager to plow through the crowd and risk the potential of enraging some snooty ballroom dancers, so he decided to idle on the edges of the crowd and pick her out that way instead.

He perused every budding ball gown and sleekly finished suit until he finally pinpointed May's airy, flaming dress, but not before covertly admiring the way it melded gracefully to her body. Then his heart jolted upon noticing the head of styled green hair that grazed her neck. "Drew," Ash noted bitterly and began to shove his way through the mass of people, who didn't restrain themselves from scowling in his direction as he passed. Upon nearing the couple, he noticed how peaceful May looked; she seemed to be lost in the moment, utterly entranced in the way Drew smoothly swept her across the floor. He maneuvered her in a tasteful twirl before dipping her in a low and dangerously sexy swoop that would have caused any other woman to swoon—and Ash didn't miss the pure wonderment that stole May's features. "Wow, he can really dance," Ash remarked to himself and continued to watch the couple in amazement. In the last receding moments of orchestra, Drew conjured a rose from his jacket lapels and presented the flower to May, who promptly blushed and graciously accepted the token. It was then that Ash quickly abandoned his prior plans to rescue May from the dance floor, instead settling to retire to his table.

Who was he kidding? He wasn't supposed to be here. He didn't know how to tie a necktie or twirl girls on the dance floor. Hell, he couldn't even slow dance without stepping on a few, unfortunate toes.

Meanwhile, Drew was busy charming ladies left and right through fashionable promenade. He ascended from a more impressive, pampered end of the social spectrum; Ash could even bet that he was specially bred on gold and caviar.

As much as he hated to admit it, the cabbage head was perfect; not only was he rich, but the guy was also wildly sophisticated and, Ash daresay it, _not particularly ugly_. He could dance, flatter, and court, all while Ash could barely manage to tie his shoes properly.

So it came to Ash as a simple known fact: Drew had every advantage to make May fall in love with him.

Now in any other scenario, he would have gladly punched Drew's face in, but this was romance he was dealing with, and so Ash was consequently out of his element. Realistically, his usual, brash actions could only lead to more trouble. So for once in his life, Ash Ketchum decided against his poorer, brasher judgement—and he gave up.

While he squeezed out of the crowd, Ash heard a distant voice call out to him. Turning his head toward the noise, he saw May wade awkwardly through the horde of dancers. He paused in his retreat to watch her stumble through the crowd. Once she had successfully maneuvered her way to him, she latched onto his arm and shot him a bright grin. "Ash! Did you not hear me calling before?"

"Ah, no, not really," Ash lied, rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh." May quirked a suspicious eyebrow at him before continuing, "Well, I was! I was just wondering where you were; after thirty minutes flew by and you didn't come meet me out on the floor, I began to worry that you got lost at the bathrooms or something."

"What? Did you really check the bathrooms for me?"

May laughed sheepishly. "Hehe, yeah. Needless to say, some of the guys weren't very pleased with me."

Ash chuckled before shaking his head. "And you didn't think to search for me at our table?"

"Oh... God, I'm such an airhead."

Ash smirked and playfully nudged her. "Don't worry about it; I'm just fine." May quickly breathed a sigh of relief. "I've opted to slum it at the dinner table, anyways."

"What? Why? That's no fun!" May suddenly objected, puffing her cheeks up at him in frustration. "Come dance with me then!"

"I can't, May—dance, I mean. I'd only ruin the night for you if I did. Look, I'll just head back to the table."

"No!" May tugged roughly at his arm and shook her head. "Don't be stupid, Ash. I forced you here against your will, so now it's _my_ job to see that you have the best freakin' night of your life!"

"I appreciate it, but you don't have to go through all that trouble for my sake. I know you'd have much more fun dancing with Drew; I saw you out there with him, you know—twirling and stuff. You looked like you were having a… ball." He internally facepalmed at his unintentional pun. Then he said, "You should go back to him."

"To Drew?" May promptly blushed but quickly dismissed the name with a shrug of her shoulders. "He _is_ pretty good at dancing. Did you know that he's professionally trained in ballet and ballroom dancing? Yeah, he just told me. That's how he knows all of those glittery, fancy-schmancy moves." Ash's stomach lurched at her words. "But I couldn't care less for him. Drew's not the one I invited to this event." She slowly continued, throwing her rose casually off to the side, "I wanted _you_ to come. And I wanted _you_ to be the one I danced with." May flashed him a small smile, and Ash felt his cheeks heat up.

Then he rolled his eyes before reluctantly asking, "So you really want me to go out there on the floor, bad dance moves and all, and dance with you then?"

" _Duh!"_ May yelled and clapped him on the shoulder. "I begged you to come _specifically_ so I could witness some of your Running Man magic!"

Ash laughed again before conceding, "Alright, alright. Since you pleaded such a convincing case, I guess I'll go." May released an excited whoop before snatching his hand and towing him toward the middle of the ballroom floor. "I can't dance to save my life, though; I hope you know that."

"Hey, I never said I could, either," May replied with a wink. After the pair had tunneled through the throng of people, Ash gingerly placed his hands on her waist and grinned as May tucked her arms around his neck. Then he began to sway her gently in between the crannies of dancers, all the while furtively gauging her face—he was pleased to see her smiling. She was happy, and that was all that mattered.

However, just as their slow ballad had ended and before Ash could pull her into another sweep, May let go of his neck. " _What is she doing?"_ he abruptly thought as she began to adjust the skirts of her dress. Then she cheekily grinned at him and promptly began to slide her heels across the marble floor. Now he understood—it was the Running Man. He threw his head back in wild laughter as he watched her knead her feet upon the ground and chug her arms spastically along her sides. "Haha! I commend you for your efforts, but my Running Man is gonna give yours a run for his money." Ash smirked and began to glide his feet rhythmically upon the floor as well, garnering several dirty looks from the surrounding guests. But he didn't notice; all he could see was May, crazily thrusting her hips to the soft lift of the orchestra and laughing wildly aloud.

If Ash had to compile a list of his top five best life decisions, attending this pretentious ball would have definitely topped it off.


End file.
